Are You a ‘Yes’ Business or a ‘No’ Business?
“It’s not my job.”
IÂ’ve been chewing on this phrase this weekend. Finally at the end of a year-long kitchen renovation, IÂ’m about to say good-bye to the cadre of workers who made it happen. Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with several “yes” people. For instance, my small-town cabinet makers, a husband-wife duo, don’t see problems they can’t fix. Every odd corner or erratic beam can be built around. Every sticky drawer unstuck.
They run a “yes” business. And IÂ’d hire them again in a heartbeat and pay more the next time. Because they go above and beyond the call of duty. It’s remarkable how really good customer service can surprise consumers these days — and how they’ll reward it in the future.
Then there are the “no” people. In any lengthy construction job with lots of subcontractors, the lines of responsibility can get blurred with little things. WhoÂ’s technically supposed to drill this particular hole for the dishwasher lines? Who actually pushes the refrigerator into place? Who fixes nail pops left from hammering?
In these murky times, I’ve had one or two guys shrug and say, “It’s not my job.” Usually, it was my cabinet makers who stepped up and helped with these small tasks, even though it wasn’t their job either.
If a good customer asks for something that isn’t business as usual, is your instinct to help or feel put upon?
If a loyal client needs assistance that’s outside your job description but something you can easily aid with, do you say yes? Or tell them, “You know, it’s really not my job.”
Readers, what encounters have you had with “yes” or “no” businesses? How did it make you feel about working with them again?
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